Serge Ibaka hits hard with his project Art
Basketball player Serge Ibaka launched a new project to showcase African diaspora artists. This NBA champion (in 2019 with Toronto Raptors) and European champion (in 2011 with Spanish national team) already created his own foundation, to help the city where he was born, Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo. The Serge Ibaka foundation allowed him to organise, in the middle of the pandemic, a relief program to distribute 80 tons of food products (rice, sugar, milk, oil, pasta, canned food…) in Ouenzé, a neighbourhood of Brazzaville. His new initiative is a musical project, called #Art, with an album due in autumn.
[Update 20.08.2022 Ibaka unveils his album ART on August 26th, with an all-star casting: Fally Ipupa, MPR, Diplo et Gyakie, Mohombi et Diamond Platnumz, Oxlade, Joé Dwèt Filé, Ya Levis, Cuppy…]
The RapRnB magazine explained that Serge Ibaka decided to gather artists from Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas for his project Art : “A lot of people are successful like me but forget where they came from. #Art (the album) is a message for everyone, for children, to encourage others to give back.”
The first single of the project is a duet with French rapper Ninho, “Champion”, that recently received the Gold certification, which means it has been streamed over 15 million times. “Shot on the land of their ancestors in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this video encounter takes place on the basketball court funded by the Los Angeles Clippers pivot foundation in Kinshasa”, related Pan-African Music.
[Update 03.09.2021: The single “Champion” with Ninho is now certified Platinum.]
At the start of the month, Serge Ibaka released a second single, “LEGGO”, with French singer-songwriter Tayc. The video clip, shot in Cuba, has over 2 million views, and should follow the path of “Champion”, to another Gold certification… As the basketball player says it, #AnythingIsPossible.
“We think a music fan is present, but retreating, Serge Ibaka lets these talented artists express themselves in the utmost humility.”, revealed African Shapers.
This unprecedented venture has just begun, and Serge Ibaka is already making a strong impact. The album is due for the end of the year, but the wait will be punctuated by singles starring the best Afro ambassadors in the international scene. Stay tuned for more!
More info on the genesis of the Art project